It has been described because the “most invasive species” to ever hit Thailand – one which dangers huge harm to the surroundings, in accordance with officers.
Makes an attempt to regulate it have seen crowds wading out into lakes, and genetic modification.
And but the blackchin tialapia continues to unfold by way of Thailand’s waterways, to date impacting 17 provinces.
An investigation in parliament has aimed to uncover the trigger and its proponent, with Bangkok MP Nattacha Boonchaiinsawat declaring: “We is not going to move a devastated ecosystem to the following era.”
So can Thai authorities win the battle – and the way precisely did this West African fish find yourself inflicting havoc half a world away?
Battling an alien species
Thailand had skilled outbreaks of blackchin tilapia prior to now, however none has been as widespread as this most up-to-date episode.
Mr Nattacha estimates that this specific outbreak goes to value Thai economic system not less than 10 billion baht ($293m; £223m).
The core downside is that the blackchin tilapia prey on small fish, shrimp, and snail larvae, that are amongst Thailand’s necessary aquaculture merchandise.
So for months now, the federal government has inspired individuals to catch blackchin tilapia, which have discovered their approach in rivers and swamps. The fish thrive in brackish water, however may also survive in recent and salt water.
The Thai authorities has additionally doubled the quantity that it’s going to pay individuals who catch the fish, to fifteen baht ($0.42; £0.33) per kilogram. The end result? In Bangkok’s suburbs, crowds have waded in knee-deep waters hoping to catch blackchin tilapia with their plastic basins.
Authorities have additionally launched the blackchin tilapia’s predators – Asian seabass and long-whiskered catfish – to hunt them down.
Nevertheless, they’re battling a species which reproduces at pace: females are in a position to produce 500 fingerlings at a time.
And so authorities have additionally gone to the extent of creating genetically-modified blackchin tilapia that may produce sterile offspring, planning to launch them as early as the tip of this yr, within the hopes of stopping their inhabitants from exploding additional.
However Mr Nattacha instructed BBC Thai the federal government wanted to do much more.
“Who will win?” he questioned. “We’d like the individuals to comply with the case carefully, in any other case this matter will likely be quiet, and we are going to move on this sort of surroundings to the following era.”
So how precisely did this fish – simply identifiable due to the black spots on their chins and cheeks – come to be in Thailand?
One concept that parliament has regarded into is that an experiment by meals behemoth Charoen Pokphand Meals (CPF) 14 years in the past had brought about the unfold.
The corporate, which produces animal feed and runs shrimp and livestock farms, imported 2,000 from Ghana in late 2010. It stated all of the fish died and have been buried correctly.
Two years later, outbreaks of blackchin tilapia have been reported in Thailand, together with the world of a CPF laboratory, in accordance with native broadcaster Thai PBS.
However CPF – the agribusiness arm of considered one of Thailand’s largest conglomerate, Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group) – has rejected the allegations. It has additionally threatened to sue these spreading what it calls “misinformation” on the matter.
It’s co-operating with state businesses combating the unfold of the alien species.
“Though the corporate is assured that it’s not the reason for the outbreak, it’s not detached and is able to cooperate with the federal government to alleviate the struggling of the individuals,” stated Premsak Wanuchsoontorn, CPF’s aquaculture and analysis improvement officer.
Nevertheless, CPF officers have attended parliament hearings in particular person solely as soon as. They’ve beforehand given their clarification to lawmakers in writing.
The director-general of Thailand’s Division of Fisheries, Bancha Sukkaew, notes just one non-public firm had sought permission to import blackchin tilapia.
He instructed the BBC that there was a risk that some escaped from the laboratory.
Nevertheless, he’s additionally not discounting the chance that the invasive fish species might have been smuggled into Thailand.
In the long run, although, how they got here to be in Thai waterways is the previous – the issue is the long run, and getting the outbreak beneath management. However is it potential?
Consultants instructed BBC Thai that the battle towards the blackchin tilapia might be a dropping one.
“I don’t see the potential of eradicating it,” stated Dr Suwit Wuthisuthimethavee, an professional in aquatic animal genetics at Walailak College.
“As a result of we can not restrict its vary. When it’s in nature, it reproduces constantly, has a quick reproductive cycle,” Dr Suwit added.
Nonn Panitvong, an professional in freshwater ecosystems, agreed.
“The issue with alien species is that when they’re established, they’re very tough to eradicate,” he stated.